Currently, there are very few suture needle holders which are applicable for endoscopic purposes. And, in fact, any current endoscopic needle holders have quite a few deficiencies. For instance, most endoscopic needle holders are able to hold straight suture needles, but curved suture needles present a difficulty. This is generally because the curved needles, when placed within current needle holder jaws, tend to rotate within the pair of jaws which hold the needle.
In addition, current needle holders do not have the capability of placing a strong and stable grip on the needle. Therefore, in use, these needle holders tend to damage suture material, because the needle may tend to slip within the needle holder jaws, so that the suture comes into to contact with the needle holders. This is generally due to the lack of pressure and/or lack of control of the pressure exerted upon the needle.
In addition, some needle holders are not capable of holding needles within tight endoscopic spaces. This is generally due to the design of the needle holder jaws. Currently, needle holder jaws are deficient in that they are relatively incapable of maintaining the needle, and yet fit within tight spaces. Finally, there is a perceived deficiency in that current needle holders are neither rotatable, nor fixedly rotatable within a trocar cannula. That is, without rotatability, these endoscopic suture needle holders are less easy to manipulate than may be desired. These needle holders are used in such narrow confines, that it is desirable to be able to reliably rotate the suture needle within this confine. Of course, it is also necessary to lock the mechanism after rotation, so the needle holder must be capable of maintaining a rigid position when locked.